Meet the Team

Dr. David Du

Periodontist

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Dr. Du earned his degree at the University of California at San Francisco School of Dentistry (UCSF). He completed his Periodontal Residency and MS in Oral & Carniofacial Sciences. In 2002 he traveled to Siena, Italy where he spent a summer studying at the Universitá per Stranieri di Siena. More recently, his travels brought him to Ensenada Mexico on a mission trip to provide dental care to it’s impoverished residents. Dr. Du has received numerous honors and awards such as the Neider Scholarship (awarded for strong academic record and commitment to excellence) and is currently in the process of obtaining diplomate status for board certification.

Dr. Du’s treatment philosophy is providing outstanding and compassionate patient care. He values the relationships that he forms with his patients and goes above and beyond to make sure that patients understand their treatment plan and that they feel comfortable with the procedures that he provides. Not only is he skilled in classical periodontal therapy, Dr Du is trained in the latest surgical techniques and using biologicals such as Emdogain, GEM 21, rhBMP-2, Alloderm, and platelet rich fibrin. His knowledge of interdisciplinary treatment planning allows him the ability to work with and communicate well with other dentist and specialist to tackle the most difficult restorative cases and to achieve the same goal of patient centered outcomes. Finally, Dr Du is experienced in dental implant-related surgeries including external and internal sinus lifts, implant site development, implant placement, CBCT guided surgery and guided bone regeneration.

Dr. Du is originally from the San Diego and Los Angeles area. While at UCLA obtaining his undergraduate degree, he met his wife, Tiffany. They have been married for 7 years and currently have 2 children, Cohen and Oliver. Dr. Du is an avid reader of fiction novels, enjoys cooking, and many outdoor activities such as playing with his boys, fishing, road biking, basketball and hiking.

Dr. Tania Nelson-Chrystal

Oral Surgeon

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Dr. Nelson-Chrystal was born and raised in California where her father had practiced as an orthodontist for over 30 years. She was raised in a family full of dentists and has had a passion for oral surgery since she was child.

Dr. Nelson-Chrystal is an accomplished oral and maxillofacial surgeon. After graduating with honors from college, and graduating with honors from the UCLA’s Dental school; Dr. Chrystal accepted a position in the Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery program at University of Maryland at Baltimore and the R. Adam Cowley Shock Trauma Center. This prestigious program is world-renowned in trauma surgery, head and neck reconstruction, and micro vascular surgery. In fact, Dr. Chrystal was present during the first face transplant in the United States.

During her six-year residency, Dr. Chrystal also obtained her Medical degree from the University of Maryland School of Medicine. University of Maryland and the Shock Trauma Center is a high-paced, rigorous program that afforded Dr. Chrystal a rich, rewarding experience and helped shape the kind of surgeon she is today. She often travels to San Francisco as an expert counsel on the aspects of oral and facial trauma surgery.

Dr. Chrystal has hospital privileges at four of the Mercy Hospitals in the Sacramento Dignity Health System where she performs orthognathic surgeries, benign tumor resections, and trauma. She recently completed and passed her written board exam and is set to take her Oral Board Certification exam in Texas in Jan 2016; the final phase to become an Board Certified Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon.

She is a member of Oral and Facial Surgeons of California (formerly California Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons – CALAOMS), American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons (AAOMS), Sacramento District Dental Society (SDDS), California Dental Association (CDA), American Dental Association (ADA), Christian Medical and Dental Association, and the American Board of Dental Anesthesia.

Dr. Chrystal has a phenomenal bedside manner and strongly believes that patient education and comfort are key in the role as a health care provider in her community. Her interests are in obtaining a smooth and pleasant experience for her patients and their family. Dr. Chrystal’s areas of focus and discipline include wisdom teeth extractions, sedations, implants, bone reconstruction/grafting, CT guided implant surgery, orthognathics, benign tumors and cosmetic surgery. She enjoys hiking, camping, wine tasting, bike riding, backpacking, mountaineering, spending time with family and friends, and trying new things. She’s been married to her husband Dan for 18 years, with two older daughters, and a 2yr old grandson, and three dogs. Currently, Dr. Chrystal’s family resides in Roseville, CA.

Dr. Jakub Pietrowski

Oral Surgeon

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Dr. Jakub Pietrowski received his undergraduate degree from the University of Notre Dame and his dental degree from the University of Southern California School of Dentistry in 2003. Since then, he completed a one year Advanced Education in General Dentistry program at Barksdale Air Force Base, in Shreveport, LA., before heading off to his residency in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery from David Grant Medical Center at Travis Air Force Base in Fairfield. After completing his residency, Dr. Pietrowski took on a teaching position at Air Force Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery residency programs while also treating active duty Air Force members, their family, and wounded warriors coming back to the United States.

Dr. Pietrowski’s goal is to provide the highest quality care possible to his patients and the community in general. He enjoys working in a team environment, and puts the welfare of his patients as his number one priority. Dr. Pietrowski practices full scope care including, but not limited to: surgical extractions, deep sedation, dental implants, ridge preservation/augmentation, sinus augmentation, biopsies, and orthognathic surgery.

Dr. Pietrowski is a Board Certified Diplomate of the American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery as well as a Fellow of the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons. In addition, he is a member of the American Dental Association and is certified in ACLS, PALS, and BLS. When not working, Dr. Pietrowski, along with his wife and two children enjoy hiking, skiing, playing tennis, wine tasting, and many other outdoor activities in the local area.

Dr. Derek Park

Oral Surgeon

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Dr. Derek Park attended the University of California, Berkeley and completed his honors thesis at the University of California, San Francisco. He then attended Columbia University in New York City to receive his Dental Degree (D.D.S.) and Master’s Degree (M.A.) in Biotechnology. His love for the Bay Area brought him back to the University of California, San Francisco where he received his Medical Degree (M.D.) and completed an internship in General Surgery and residency in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery.

Dr. Park is a Board-Certified Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon who focuses his practice on outpatient sedation, dental extractions, bone grafting, and implant surgery. The most common compliment he gets is his calming demeanor and compassion for his patients. He makes every effort to ensure that his patients and family have a pleasant experience during their visit. He is passionate about his field and strives everyday to providing quality, safe, and evidence-based care.

Dr. Park enjoys traveling with his family and learning about different cultures. He loves cooking, especially Korean food. During his free time, he enjoys hiking, golfing, and playing tennis.

Dr. Ruvim Zhuk

Endodontist

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Dr. Ruvim Zhuk is a Sacramento native who attended Sheldon High School in Elk Grove before continuing his education at the University of California at Davis where he received his undergraduate degree in Exercise Biology with a minor in Russian. He then attended the Arizona School of Dentistry and Oral Health where he received his DMD and Certificate in Public Health, earning numerous awards for academic excellence along the way. After graduating from dental school, Dr Zhuk continued his training at the University of Washington, where he completed a 26 month program in Endodontics and received his specialty certificate in endodontics and Masters of Science in Dentistry. His program focused not only on developing his clinical experience in non-surgical and surgical root canal therapy, cracked teeth, traumatic injuries, 3D cone beam computed tomography and regenerative endodontics; but also in developing an astute clinician capable of analyzing past, present and future endodontic literature to find meaningful answers in our present body of endodontic knowledge.

During his endodontic training, Dr. Zhuk took part in educating 2nd, 3rd and 4th year dental students both in their lab courses and while providing endodontic care to their patients. His research focused on analyzing thousands of CBCT images in locating the relative position of MB2, a canal often missed during treatment, in the maxillary first molars. With the data he collected, his underlying goal was to provide valuable tools and guiding principles to both dentists and endodontists in their search for this commonly elusive canal which is a major contributor to a high failure rate of inadequately treated maxillary first molars.

Dr. Zhuk is an American Board of Endodontists board-eligible candidate. His desire is to provide superb care to all of his patients in a calm and caring demeanor relying on the most current up to date technology and evidence based literature to support his decision-making process. His passion is to change the public’s perception of “root canal,” commonly associated with fear and severe pain, into an experience that no longer alarms his patients.

Dr. Zhuk is a member of the American Association of Endodontists, California Dental Association and the American Dental Association.

During his free time he enjoys spending time with his family and over 150 cousins that live in the greater Sacramento area. His hobbies included exercising, cooking, teaching Sunday School, gardening and fishing with his brothers